Black & White 2 Plus refreshes Lionhead’s classic RTS with a ton of new content

In a couple of months, “Black & White 2” will mark its two-decade milestone since its initial release. Regrettably, this once-prominent franchise has largely slipped into obscurity, with none of its titles being accessible for digital purchase—let alone the slim possibility of a third installment in the series. However, one dedicated enthusiast chose to step up and crafted a significant modification named “Black & White 2 Plus“. Just recently, a fresh update (version 1.4) of this project was unveiled.

The objective of this project is not just to enhance the gameplay experience, but also to substantially expand the scope of it. The additions are so extensive that they nearly double the content available in Black & White 2. This update includes two new territories – Norse and Aztec – which were originally conceived by Lionhead Studios but later discarded. Furthermore, there are additional campaign missions, fresh adversaries, and unknown powers incorporated into the game as well.

Detailed features of the mod include:

  1. Follow the original story of black & white 2, expanded with two new lands and some new cut content!
  2. Brough from the code graveyard of the game the forgotten second Norse land and the second Aztec land!
  3. The second Aztec land solves a major plot hole on the game, now it is finally fixed.
  4. Prepare your skills! This mod makes the game harder, use what have you learned on this adventure to win!
  5. New balance changes to make the game more challenging!
  6. Defeating the final enemy will send you to your original Greek homeland, restored after the Aztec attack!
  7. Post game content: Play any of the previous lands in the order you want, also access to the new story!
  8. Enjoy a new story, traveling back to the ancient god lands, unlock a new temple, get new powerfull miracles and explore 9 new lands!
  9. Defeat a new god, a new entity with a power that you have never seen on the game, everything after the events of battle of the gods

In summary, Black & White 2 Plus stands out as the optimal method to enjoy this game right now. Not only does it rectify the major flaws found in the original version, but also introduces fresh content derived from discarded concepts conceived by Lionhead. This makes it an ideal complement to the overall gameplay experience.

Unfortunately, it’s disappointing that “Black & White 2” and its predecessor are not available for purchase from any digital store due to a complex legal situation. Both games were published by Electronic Arts, but the ownership rights of the brand were shared between Lionhead Studios, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2005 and closed down in 2016. At present, there is no sole entity holding all the necessary rights to re-release these classic titles from the series. Here’s hoping that these legal hurdles will be resolved someday — the series deserves to be remembered.

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2025-07-20 21:02